2021 hasn't exactly been a banner year at the movies so far, but there have at least
been a few great releases to tide us all over. And if it's straight-up escapism you're after,
you'll do no better than these: the very best sci-fi films of 2021.
Set in an alternate present, Lapsis follows a man who, struggling to care for his ailing
brother, picks up a side hustle working for a sinister tech company. The film blends mystery,
drama, comedy, and sci-fi, and it's been particularly noted for its timely critique of the gig economy.
For example, Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times writes:
"A refreshing instance of world building where the emphasis is on satirical wit, activist
smarts and character, it feels like one of those movies we’ll be looking at decades
from now and [...] saying 'Yeah, ‘Lapsis’ had that.'"
Meanwhile, critic Matt Zoller Seitz wrote in his review:
"The low-budget, idea-driven corner of science fiction has become a crowded place recently.
Lapsis is the latest entry worth seeing and arguing about."
The movie currently holds a 93% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been nominated
for a 2021 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. So if you're craving a genuinely
important and thought-provoking indie sci-fi, Lapsis ought to hit just the spot.
Little Fish is a romance sci-fi that's set in a not-too-distant future Seattle — where
society is facing an epidemic of Alzheimer's-like illness. Olivia Cook and Jack O'Connell star
as Emma and Jude, a couple struggling with the devastating effects of the disease on
their own relationship. Little Fish was filmed before COVID-19 hit and was due to be shown
at the canceled 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. As such, its underlying premise may be incredibly
timely — but it's actually a total coincidence.
Entertainment Weekly's Mary Sollosi says that despite the subject matter, Little Fish, quote,
"resonates mostly as a love story." She also praises the performances from the movie's
stars, saying:
"[Cook] and O'Connell both bring the cool project a necessary warmth that sells their
relationship, which is the real star here, enough to carry the movie."
Meanwhile, Jordan Raup of The Film Stage notes that:
"The details of emotional bonds are given utmost priority in the story over extraneous
exposition related to light sci-fi touches."
In other words: Little Fish is the perfect love story for life in trying times.
Take a little romance, a little sci-fi, and the basic premise of Groundhog Day, and you've
pretty much got The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. This movie follows Kyle Allen as Mark, a teenager
stuck in a time loop... who then meets Kathryn Newton's Margaret, another teenager stuck
in the same loop.
"Are you experiencing some kind of temporal anomaly in your life? By 'temporal anomaly,'
I mean-"
"I know what a temporal anomaly is."
The two then decide to focus on finding the tiny, perfect things about their day. It's
a love story a little like 2020's Palm Springs, only with heaps more teenage angst. Released
on Amazon Prime Video on February 12th, 2021, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things has been gathering
critical acclaim for its impressive cast and strong emotional resonance. Mike Ward at Should
I See It writes:
"This is a detail-driven, meticulously crafted film that stands apart from its peers with
two strong lead performances, a bit of a mischievous grin, and a heart firmly entrenched on its
sleeve."
While Shani Harris of Culturess calls the movie:
"A new spin on young love that will stimulate your mind and touch your heart."
The first feature from writer/director Nicholas Ashe Bateman, The Wanting Mare blends romance
and drama in its tale of two lands. Jordan Monaghan stars as Moira, a woman from an oppressively
hot country who, one day, crosses paths with a wounded thief. There's a lot more to this
movie than the initial premise, of course — but it'd be a shame to give too much away.
Bateman's film took five years to make, and it was shot mostly in a warehouse with digital
effects added after. This is especially fitting since Bateman has a background in VFX — for
example, he did visual digital effects on 2018's Free Solo, which won the 2019 Academy
Award for Best Documentary Feature. The result is a movie that's largely CG, and, as a result,
looks both haunting and beautiful.
The Wanting Mare has an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was released to theaters and
on streaming platforms on February 5th, 2021. Kat Hughes of The Hollywood News wrote:
"The Haunting Mare is a beautifully realized film that transports the viewer to another
world."
And Henry Stewart at Slant Magazine noted that:
"The Wanting Mare conjures a vivid, naturalistic sense of place out of ones and zeroes."
If you like your sci-fi with a dash of superheroism on the side — or vice versa — then Zack
Snyder's Justice League is here to save the day. The epic adventure, which clocks in at
a staggering 4 hours and 2 minutes, is flying along with a 73% critics' rating and a 96%
audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. And while some critics may be a little mixed on the
movie, fans are ecstatic with the so-called Snyder Cut.
As far as the premise goes, this version of Justice League is fairly similar to the much-maligned
2017 cut. Superman's sacrifice in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has spurred Bruce
Wayne to unite a team of his superfriends to face off against a major cosmic threat.
"I don't care how many demons he's fought in how many hells. He's never fought us. Not
us united."
The movie is divided into six chapters and an epilogue for easier viewing, and characters
such as Cyborg and the Flash have their stories fleshed out, giving the film a grander scale
with much deeper meaning. As The Age's Jake Wilson says:
"This is genuinely a different film from the earlier Justice League, and a much more coherent
one."
While Kyle Pinion of Screen Rex adds that:
"It’s perhaps the best DC film of the current cycle, and certainly the one that most embodies
the inherent thrill of that publisher’s canon. It’s also one hell of a redemption
story."
Ever feel like you're reliving the same thing over and over again? Yes, it's another time
loop movie… but don't worry — this one's a real doozy. Boss Level hit Hulu back on
March 5th, 2021, and this sci-fi romp features plenty of action, video game aesthetics, and
Frank Grillo playing a guy called Roy Pulver. Seriously, what more could you possibly want?
As with the main characters in movies such as Happy Death Day and Edge of Tomorrow, Pulver's
loop involves reliving the day on which he's killed. But this mysterious action/sci-fi
hybrid must be bringing something new to the table, since Boss Level currently stands at
a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Director Joe Carnahan has worked with Grillo before, who had a supporting part in Carnahan's
2011 survival epic The Grey. And now he's drawing a heap of praise for his leading role
in Boss Level. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times compliments Grillo's ability to
carry the film, saying that:
"He pulls it off with a combination of brute force and light charm."
Indiewire's Christian Blauvelt also gives Grillo high marks, saying:
"He gets you to invest in Roy enough that, even without a controller in your hands, you
never feel like you’re simply watching someone else play a video game. With no pixels in
sight, Grillo gives Boss Level the thing most video game movie riffs lack: a pulse."
Known as Seungriho in its original Korean, Space Sweepers takes place in a dystopian
2092. It follows a crew of space junk collectors — or "sweepers" — who find a robot girl
named Dorothy, who's wanted by the evil corporation UTS. Deciding they can make money from their
discovery, the sweepers hold her for ransom… which turns out not to be the smartest decision
they've ever made.
Space Sweepers stars Kim Tae-ri as Captain Jang and Richard Armitage as UTS' villainous
gazillionaire leader, Sullivan. Behind the camera is South Korean writer/director Jo
Sung-Hee, who is most famous for his 2012 hit, A Werewolf Boy, as well as 2016's Phantom
Detective. Netflix released Space Sweepers onto its streaming platform on February 5th,
2021, to mostly positive reviews, and it now holds a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Daniel
Hart at Ready Steady Cut writes:
"Space Sweepers is an energetic space adventure that manages to slightly emotionally engage
the audience while stimulating them with fun action sequences."
Meanwhile, The Stranger's Charles Mudede says:
"Space Sweepers [...] features lots of explosions, lots of robots, and that raw examination of
capitalist class structures we have come to expect from the best of South Korea's directors."
And over at Slate, Karen Han says:
"I couldn't help but be charmed by its possibly naïve but hopeful idea that all of humanity
might still come together to save itself."
Supposedly the final installment in Legendary's MonsterVerse, Godzilla vs. Kong sees the two
iconic movie titans coming to blows in all their cinematic glory. The premise is simple
enough: a team of humans set out with Kong on an expedition to the Hollow Earth, the
home of the MonsterVerse's terrifying Titans. Along the way, however, they encounter an
enraged Godzilla, and then, well, everyone starts smashing stuff. And don't worry — it
looks a little better than the last time these guys duked it out.
Reviews for the movie have been particularly effusive regarding its kaiju action, with
Good Morning America's Peter Travers saying that:
"The clash of these titans is spectacular in every sense of the word."
Possibly the most glowing praise comes from Matt Zoller Seitz, however, who writes:
"It might be the best studio film so far this year. If it isn't, it's for damn sure the
most fun."
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